Do I need a view finder?

[joanna_dewey]

I notice many of the new digitals do not have a viewfinder at all.

Do I need one or is that just a hangover from film days?

I do a lot of photography in bright sunlight if that is relevant.

thanks, Joanna

[mendonphoto]

If you need the viewfinder for what you are doing, a P&S is probably the wrong camera to use. Besides, what P&S viewfinders are now is not worth much. My wife's camera has one, and I thought I would prefer it over the LCD, but I don't. The LCD is pretty good.

[jcuknz]

I'd say YES but then I'm an old film foggie. But I prefer the EVF to the viewfinder, optical or reflex types.

[godfrey]

Most point and shoot compacts have rather poor optical viewfinders anyway but some folks

still prefer them. The newer digital cameras in this class have pretty good LCDs that are

viewable even in fairly bright sunshine ... I know my Fuji F30 does ... so it's best to take it on

a camera by camera basis and see what suits you best.

 

Godfrey

[dan_mcclain]

I would recommend an optical viewfinder if you plan to rely on the camera, and want a backup viewfinder in case the LCD dies or gets damaged.

[albert_richardson1]

I resort to using the viewfinder when the sun is shining on the back of the camera. This bright light wipes out the LCD for all practical purposes. My P&S does not have a LCD hood. I have been trying out various designs to make my own, but the camera is so compact that there is nothing to use to connect a hood to it. I keep thinking I will have to resort to wrapping it in rubber bands. Ugh! :-(

 

Nikon Coolpix 5900

[ronald_moravec1]

Impossible to use well outside unless you you put it on a tripod and put a dark cloth over your head like a large format. I have done this with a little P&S on a 20# tripod. Made a great panorama.

 

Ended up buying a Nikon D200. It is like a Rolls compared to a kids bicycle. Get a Nikon D 40 and enjoy photography for $600

[calculuspanda]

"Do I need one or is that just a hangover from film days?"

 

I think 'I' is the key word here. Personally, I need one because I find it easier to do panning shots when my visual reference doesn't disappear while I'm shooting. I also find it easier to hold my camera steady when I'm using the viewfinder. My mom needs one because she has an easier time with it and multifocal lenses. On the other hand, my dad and my brother don't feel they need one.

[richard_oleson]

You only need a viewfinder if you need sharp pictures. The LCD is very handy under many conditions, but holding a camera at arms length so you can view the back panel is not the ideal formula for steady shooting.

 

Many P&S digitals do have viewfinders, and even if I expect to use the LCD for most grab shots I would not buy a camera without a finder.

[Rich B NYC]

I'm another old film foggie and simply can't live without some sort of viewfinder.

 

The optical viewfinders on all the digicams I've tried are pretty poor. Not one of them was even close to accurately showing what was being recorded.

 

I recently needed to replace a broken digicam and went with a Canon S3IS which has a pretty nice EVF. I'm not much into pixel peeping, so usually keep the LCD in its closed position anyway.

 

My most recent purchase was a Nikon D80 which has a much brighter and larger finder image compared to its Canon competition (the Rebel XTi). Coming from Nikon film cameras with 100% finders, I'm a bit anal in this regard but the D80 finder was very easy to adjust to.

 

All that said, I have to agree with Richard Oleson regarding arms-length shooting. Even with an image stabilized camera, this is a very poor method to insure sharp photos.

 

Rich

[httpwww.photo.netphoto1664881498]

I find the viewfinder can come in really handy when your battery starts to run low. It just means that if you are stuck without a replacement battery and the battery is running low - you can switch it the LCD off and you don't have to consume any power on the LCD and therefore get more photos.

 

Plus in bright conditions as others have said - it at least gives you the option to use the viewfinder.

 

You say you use it a lot under bright sunlight - you will need to test out the LCD on the camera that you want (with or without the viewfinder) and see how it reacts under bright conditions. Some work better that others.

 

Checkout the Panasonic Lumix FZ8 - it has an Electronic View Finder. Also worth considering the Canon S3 IS.

 

G

[phule]

<<but holding a camera at arms length so you can view the back panel is not the ideal formula for steady shooting.>>

 

And the nonsense continues to ooze its way around photo.net

[joanna_dewey]

I want to thank you all for posting. I've got a much clearer idea of the issues involved - thought not necessarily nearer a decision.

[jeffpolaski]

I spent Friday IN NYC Central Park watching scores of people holding digital R&S cameras at arm's length, diligently making blurred photographs.

 

A viewfinder helps you anchor the camera in the three point among two hands a part of your face. I've read a lot of bitter complaints that the optical viewfinders of didgital P&S's aren't accurate and don't provide information. For over a century, photographers have done quite well with that type of viewfinder. Other parts of the camera provide technical information, and, if necessary, your experience can provide framing adjustments. It could't be easier with the instant feedback you get from the LCD.

 

A Bessa 66 with a metal frame viewfinder (no glass).

[jeffpolaski]

Here it is.

[stormchaser]

Viewfinders let you see the scene the scene more realistically, while most LCD screens are crap. However, I find them easier to use, and sometimes they can lay the "rule of thirds" chart over your image to help with composition. I'd want a camera with a viewfinder, but they're not necessary.

[will_webster]

Nobody's mentioned the delay factor - I can't speak to all small digicams but the response time of my Canon S70 goes to near zero when I turn the LCD off. EVF won't help - you need an optical viewfinder to eliminate the time delay for clearing the sensor.

 

If you must use the LCD, you can get sharp results if you press your elbows against your ribs and hold the camera just in front of your sternum. A swiveling LCD helps but is not mandatory.

[phule]

<<A viewfinder helps you anchor the camera in the three point among two hands a part of your face.>>

 

Yet again, wrong.

 

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1018&message=17501274

[skip_goodman]

<p>I'm only an amateur but cannot imagine why the number of cameras available with viewfinders appears to be dwindling. Perhaps the younger generation is driving the production of those without viewfinders but, as a family man with children and grandchildren who has been using my Samsung as much as a video-cam, I have had to be much more diligent about using rechargeable NiMh batteries which last longer than ordinary alkaline batteries. (By the way, for those of you who use alkaline batteries that die, if you check them in a cheap little battery tester, you'll find that they still peg into the fully-charged area and can be used for other low-drain applications in your house for quite awhile!) Anyway, I made the mistake of buying my last camera without a viewfinder and, running out of juice in the middle of my granddaughter's singing performance or grandson's home run because I'm forced to use the LCD is very frustrating. PLEASE bring back the viewfinder as a rule and not an exception as it's getting very difficult to find a good one anymore.</p>

 

[skip_goodman]

<p>I'm only an amateur but cannot imagine why the number of cameras available with viewfinders appears to be dwindling. Perhaps the younger generation is driving the production of those without viewfinders but, as a family man with children and grandchildren who has been using my Samsung as much as a video-cam, I have had to be much more diligent about using rechargeable NiMh batteries which last longer than ordinary alkaline batteries. (By the way, for those of you who use alkaline batteries that die, if you check them in a cheap little battery tester, you'll find that they still peg into the fully-charged area and can be used for other low-drain applications in your house for quite awhile!) Anyway, I made the mistake of buying my last camera without a viewfinder and, running out of juice in the middle of my granddaughter's singing performance or grandson's home run because I'm forced to use the LCD is very frustrating. PLEASE bring back the viewfinder as a rule and not an exception as it's getting very difficult to find a good one anymore.</p>

 

[bill_tuthill]

<p>The dpreview.com feature-search database does not contain viewfinder information, but dcresource.com does. Viewfinders are being dropped to make the LCD bigger and because they really aren't very useful for framing, although they do save the battery.</p>